Come on and breathe with me
by bird of paper and string
Summary: When he and Jack kiss, Alex swears time stops. It's like the entire galaxy just freezes as they drown in their young love. Jalex.


Title credit- don't you dare forget the sun - get scared

It's one of those lazy Saturday afternoons, with the sun shining and a cool breeze blowing, when Jack grabs Alex, practically dragging him out of the house, away from where he had been quietly relaxing, and leads him to the car with a grin.

"Come on, Lex. Just get in the car. I need to take you somewhere," Jack pleads, and his eyes are so bright and his smile is so wide that Alex just can't say no. He sighs and makes a show out of slumping down in the passenger seat, but then Jack lets out a gentle laugh as he gets in on the driver's side and Alex gets excited.

It's not like Jack hasn't done this before. Over the past few months that they've been living together he seems to have gone out of his way to surprise Alex with little gifts, like a rose on the bed, an 'i love you' on the fridge, or, as in this case, getting him in the car and driving him somewhere beautiful. Alex thinks that these times are his favourite, when he has no idea where his boyfriend could be taking him, but trusts Jack so completely that all he feels is excitement.

He tries to give back, of course. He buys presents and plans outings because he wants this relationship to be balanced. He doesn't want Jack to think he doesn't care. He doesn't want to fuck up. Because Jack is his everything, his home, his world, his entire fucking galaxy and what they have is just so magical and pure that he treasures it and never wants it to end.

"Hey, hello in there. Stop thinking so hard, you're hurting your brain," Jack's breathy laugh brings Alex out of his musings and he returns the smile that is sent his way.

"Sorry," he says, and Jack's only response is to turn on the radio, keeping the volume low enough so that they can still talk if they need to, but high enough so it blocks out the world. It's just something they do, something they always have done, ever since they met in high school. Music was a massive part in both of their lives, and it calmed them and reminded them of why they loved each other so much.

Glancing over at Jack, Alex can't help but notice that he seems a little nervous. He's constantly licking his lips and puffing out air through his nose, then he starts breathing deeply as if he was calming himself down. Alex knows Jack better than he knows himself, and something is definitely off.

But he's not going to ask, he's not going to pressure Jack into telling him, because he knows that will only make his boyfriend more reluctant to seek help. So he stays quiet and sits back, looking out the window at the houses that are flying by.

Soon enough, there are fewer and fewer houses, and Alex realises that Jack is taking him somewhere out of town. Somewhere secluded, somewhere just for them, and Alex's heart beats faster. There's trees on one side of the road, and a lake on the other, and they seem to be going up hill. Alex thinks that wherever Jack is taking him is going to be phenomenal. So he relaxes and lets the music and the sound of Jack's breathing consume him.

By the time they arrive, the sun is a little lower in the sky, and sunset is on it's way. Jack stops the car at a mountain lookout, parking and turning off the engine, getting out of the car to open Alex's door because he's a gentleman like that. When Alex gets out, he smiles.

They're in a little clearing, with trees encasing one side and a huge drop-off on the other. There are cliffs jutting out in front of them and there's a valley below. The trees are mostly green, some of them having brown tints, and the grass they're standing on is bright.

Alex turns to Jack, a grin on his face, ready to exclaim how beautiful this is, but he falters when he sees Jack looking more nervous than ever. His eyes are darting around and his hands are shaking, and that's when Alex notices that he's holding something. A little black box.

Alex's breath catches in his throat, and he can do nothing but stare as Jack gets down on one knee and looks him in the eyes.

"Listen, Alex. Um, I really love you. Like, a lot. Like, I can't even put it into words, so I'm not gonna try. I just want you to know that you make me so happy, so fucking happy, and I never want to lose you. I want to be with you forever, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but not just as your boyfriend. I want to make it official, I want us both to wear rings so people know that we're together, I want the whole world to know how much you mean to me. I want to be your husband. So, Lex, will you marry me?"

He's holding the box open and presenting the ring to Alex, and his eyes are so full of hope and maybe some tears that Alex's heart swells with love for the man in front of him. His limbs feel like jelly and his hands are shaking as his mouth curls into a smile and he falls to his knees. He cups Jack's face in his hands and brings him closer. When he and Jack kiss, Alex swears time stops. It's like the entire galaxy just freezes as they drown in their young love. And that's what it feels like. Alex feels like he's drowning in love, in admiration, in Jack, and it's wonderful.

Jack is smiling when Alex pulls back, and Alex wastes no time in saying "Yes. Oh, God, Jack, yes! Yes, I will marry you. Oh, my God, Jack!" And they're both grinning and crying and they pull each other closer. The sun sets and the world turns gold.

thanks for reading cutie xo


End file.
